Community shocked by charges against local SRO

Shortly before 1 a.m. Saturday, Henderson County School Resource Officer Daniel Lindsey, 27, was stripped of his badge, fired from the Sheriff’s Office, arrested at his residence in Mountain Home and charged with three felony counts of sex offense with a student. He was working at Balfour Education Center.

By CAITLIN BYRDTimes-News Staff Writer

Published: Saturday, January 18, 2014 at 10:00 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, January 18, 2014 at 9:05 p.m.

Neighbors didn't believe it. School administrators never saw it coming. Even Henderson County Sheriff Charlie McDonald had no reason before 5 p.m. Friday to think one of his deputies would be charged with three felonies.

However, shortly before 1 a.m. Saturday, Henderson County School Resource Officer Daniel Lindsey, 27, was stripped of his badge, fired from the Sheriff’s Office, arrested at his residence in Mountain Home and charged with three felony counts of sex offense with a student.

“Truly, we are all sickened by this. We work so hard and continue to work hard to keep the public’s trust,” McDonald said during an 11 a.m. news conference Saturday morning. “We had no reason, that I’m aware of (when Lindsey was hired in September 2008) to doubt his confidence to be a school resource officer.”

Lindsey began working as a school resource officer at Balfour Education Center in August. He is accused of having intercourse with a female student at Balfour Education Center in October and December. The student, now 17, was 16 at the time of the events which led to Lindsey's arrest.

McDonald said there is no evidence that any illegal activity took place on school property, and it appears the activity was consensual. However, McDonald also pointed out that it is against state law for persons in authority at schools, including teachers and resource officers, to have sexual contact with students.

Before pursuing the local investigation, McDonald said he consulted with District Attorney Greg Newman about whether to turn over the case to the State Bureau of Investigation. They then decided to move forward with the local investigation and charges in order to quickly remove Lindsey from contact with minors, McDonald said.

The Sheriff’s Office began investigating Lindsey on Jan. 17, but McDonald declined to say what circumstances led to the investigation. However, he said when investigators saw evidence of probable cause, law enforcement moved quickly to take him into custody.

“Once we saw certain evidence, we knew that time really, I felt like, was of the essence. We continued actually around the clock; myself and most the officers that were involved in the case finished up about 6 or 5 o’clock this morning,” McDonald said.

Lindsey was arrested without incident at his home, which stands approximately 2 miles from Balfour Education Center. He was booked under a $45,000 bond and transported to the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office. Because Lindsey was a Henderson County Sheriff’s Office employee, McDonald explained it is department policy to move the criminal processing to another law enforcement agency. McDonald said Lindsey made bond Saturday morning.

Hours after Lindsey’s arrest, the news spread and stunned the community. Jennifer Jones, who said Lindsey was her DARE Officer when she was a student, wrote “I still cant get over it” on her Facebook page.

But former students were not the only ones shocked by the news. Balfour Education Center Principal Kent Parent said he was both dismayed and surprised when he learned about the charges facing his school’s student resource officer.

“We at Balfour are hurt deeply that a trusted adult on our campus would violate the security and the safety that we’re establishing at Balfour,” Parent said. “I had no impression that he would ever be involved in something like this.”

Parent said the school does not know the identity of the student involved in the incident.

Parent also said the alternative public school is working with law enforcement and will be reaching out to students to assure them that they are in a safe learning environment.

McDonald, who has been sheriff since 2012, said his office conducts “extremely thorough” background checks on its employees, including school resource officers. He said that, currently, the department has an 83 percent washout rate through its background checks when hiring deputies.

Paul Roberts, who lives across the street from Lindsey, said he was shocked to hear about the charges.

“I just can’t believe it. It blows my mind,” the 37-year-old said. “He seems to be such a good family man, and he’s always been very polite.”

Roberts said Lindsey is married and has two sons who are in grade school.

The investigation is ongoing, and McDonald said more charges could be filed. Lindsey is expected to have his first court appearance on Tuesday.

<p>Neighbors didn't believe it. School administrators never saw it coming. Even Henderson County Sheriff Charlie McDonald had no reason before 5 p.m. Friday to think one of his deputies would be charged with three felonies.</p><p>However, shortly before 1 a.m. Saturday, Henderson County School Resource Officer Daniel Lindsey, 27, was stripped of his badge, fired from the Sheriff's Office, arrested at his residence in Mountain Home and charged with three felony counts of sex offense with a student.</p><p>“Truly, we are all sickened by this. We work so hard and continue to work hard to keep the public's trust,” McDonald said during an 11 a.m. news conference Saturday morning. “We had no reason, that I'm aware of (when Lindsey was hired in September 2008) to doubt his confidence to be a school resource officer.” </p><p>Lindsey began working as a school resource officer at Balfour Education Center in August. He is accused of having intercourse with a female student at Balfour Education Center in October and December. The student, now 17, was 16 at the time of the events which led to Lindsey's arrest.</p><p>McDonald said there is no evidence that any illegal activity took place on school property, and it appears the activity was consensual. However, McDonald also pointed out that it is against state law for persons in authority at schools, including teachers and resource officers, to have sexual contact with students.</p><p>Before pursuing the local investigation, McDonald said he consulted with District Attorney Greg Newman about whether to turn over the case to the State Bureau of Investigation. They then decided to move forward with the local investigation and charges in order to quickly remove Lindsey from contact with minors, McDonald said.</p><p>The Sheriff's Office began investigating Lindsey on Jan. 17, but McDonald declined to say what circumstances led to the investigation. However, he said when investigators saw evidence of probable cause, law enforcement moved quickly to take him into custody.</p><p>“Once we saw certain evidence, we knew that time really, I felt like, was of the essence. We continued actually around the clock; myself and most the officers that were involved in the case finished up about 6 or 5 o'clock this morning,” McDonald said.</p><p>Lindsey was arrested without incident at his home, which stands approximately 2 miles from Balfour Education Center. He was booked under a $45,000 bond and transported to the Transylvania County Sheriff's Office. Because Lindsey was a Henderson County Sheriff's Office employee, McDonald explained it is department policy to move the criminal processing to another law enforcement agency. McDonald said Lindsey made bond Saturday morning.</p><p>Hours after Lindsey's arrest, the news spread and stunned the community. Jennifer Jones, who said Lindsey was her DARE Officer when she was a student, wrote “I still cant get over it” on her Facebook page.</p><p>But former students were not the only ones shocked by the news. Balfour Education Center Principal Kent Parent said he was both dismayed and surprised when he learned about the charges facing his school's student resource officer.</p><p>“We at Balfour are hurt deeply that a trusted adult on our campus would violate the security and the safety that we're establishing at Balfour,” Parent said. “I had no impression that he would ever be involved in something like this.”</p><p>Parent said the school does not know the identity of the student involved in the incident.</p><p>Parent also said the alternative public school is working with law enforcement and will be reaching out to students to assure them that they are in a safe learning environment. </p><p>McDonald, who has been sheriff since 2012, said his office conducts “extremely thorough” background checks on its employees, including school resource officers. He said that, currently, the department has an 83 percent washout rate through its background checks when hiring deputies. </p><p>Paul Roberts, who lives across the street from Lindsey, said he was shocked to hear about the charges.</p><p>“I just can't believe it. It blows my mind,” the 37-year-old said. “He seems to be such a good family man, and he's always been very polite.”</p><p>Roberts said Lindsey is married and has two sons who are in grade school. </p><p>The investigation is ongoing, and McDonald said more charges could be filed. Lindsey is expected to have his first court appearance on Tuesday.</p><p>___</p><p>Reach Byrd at Caitlin.byrd@blueridgenow.com or 828-694-7881.</p><p>Staff writer Renee Bindewald also contributed to this report.</p>